Ballet is back

 

I've decided to take up ballet lessons. Well, hasn't everyone since seeing the a-mazingly beautiful Natalie Portman in the Oscar-winning Black Swan? 

Tutus, ribbons, barres and buns, I very much enjoyed my ballet lessons as a pre-teen. I attended all the competitions and even won 'performer of the year' at my local Born to Dance studio.

Pliéing (well, generally prancing) around the garden, I would showcase my latest moves to my bored yet patient parents. It was the baby pink shades and prettiness of ballet that I fell for. Feeling graceful and dressed, as I believed, like a princess, I couldn't wait for my weekly Friday classes.

But I soon reached that age when ballet wasn't 'cool' anymore. Pink became babyish and my definition of 'pretty' altered with age. I  began to dread Fridays, pushing my feet into those pumps and tying my hair up in those sickly ribbons - I couldn't wait to stop my ballet lessons.

Fast forward twenty years, with thanks to Hollywood and high fashion, my beliefs in ballet have now reversed. Pirouetting into Spring/Summer 2011, russian ballet-inspired designs are just...inescapable. David Koma, Chloé and Erdem present floating and flared silhouettes whilst Erin Fetherston and Marchesa provide neutral palettes filled with stone, powdery pink and flesh tones. Chiffon, lace, embroidery and embellishments are cascading the catwalk. 

It appears ballet is back!

So it seems my refound interest will be keeping me bang on-trend for this coming season. I should get practising my pose and points then, shouldn't I? I know my revival performance to my parents in the garden will be eagerly anticipated. 

(Images: found. Top: David Koma, Chloé, Erdem, Erin Fetherston, Marchesa and Marchesa. All S/S 2011) 

The Memory of Marchesa

The ninth issue of Acne Paper. My favourite one yet.

In it's main shoot photographer Paolo Roversi sets the scene in his usual edgy yet incredibly enchanting way. 

Roversi uses actress Tilda Swinton to portray the Italian heiress Marchesa Casati. (To give you a quick low-down Marchesa is one of Italy's most historical fashion icons. An extremely intriguing lady it seems; she had nude servants, wore live snakes as jewellery and paraded around with a pair of cheetahs).

As you can see Tilda Swinton plays the part perfectly, albeit still looking as if she has just escaped from Narnia.